Thursday, September 16, 2010

The ZF totally condemns the British Trade Union Congress' approval of a discriminatory boycott of Israeli goods, yesterday.

Jonathan Sacerdoti, Director of Public Affairs of the Zionist Federation, said "the TUC Congress calls for an immediate end to the military blockade on Gaza. This can only happen when there is no remaining threat of terrorist rocket attacks emanating from the Gaza strip. Rockets are currently still being launched towards Israeli civilian areas. In recent months Israel lifted many of the restrictions on what is allowed to pass into the Gaza strip, but it remains clear to all who are open minded enough to see it that until a better method for ensuring Israel's security from terrorist attacks exists, restrictions must stay in place. This is simply common sense.

"The TUC should concentrate on representing the interests of its members at a time when cuts are affecting ever more of them. There is no legitimate reason for the TUC to be targeting Israel (and no other country in the world) according the dubious desires of a group of its members who take few (if any) proactive actions to foster peace in the Middle East. The PSC continually seeks to hijack Trade Unions to promote their anti-Israel and anti-peace agenda. It is a divisive and disruptive organization.“

The ZF encourages its supporters to fight back, by getting involved in Trade Unions and speaking out as well as buying Israeli goods. We call on trade union members to protest to their union executives and we call for increased cooperation between the TUC and the Histadrut, for the benefit of peace in the interests of both Palestinian and Israeli workers.

Israel remains committed to the existence of two states: one for the Jewish people and one for the Palestinian people. To that end, negotiations are underway between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Israel has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to a secure two state solution.

Note on TUC's actions:

The TUC Congress claims to be concerned for the welfare of Palestinians, yet made no mention of the Jordanian government's failure to provide refugees of the 1948 war with basic human rights such as citizenship and voting. Nor did they condemn Lebanon for its refusal to allow Palestinian refugees the right to work or vote. They issued no condemnation of Syria for its terrible treatment of Palestinians in its care, no condemnation of Hamas for its continued assault on the freedoms of residents of Gaza including the burning of UNRWA children's camps, human trafficking, regular executions and use of torture, and the continued murders of Israeli civilians. Furthermore, the TUC issued no condemnation of Iran for its systematic use of rape and torture of political dissidents, executions by stoning, or persecution of homosexuals and women. Nor did they condemn Yemen for its brutal and deadly attacks against civilians in the north (with Saudi collusion).

In fact, the TUC Congress issued no condemnations of anyone apart from Israel, the one country in the region that shares Western values and constantly strives to improve itself and the lives of its citizens and workers.

Notes on boycotts:

- A boycott will not help to bring peace to the region. Boycotts are divisive and deliberately discriminatory. Those truly interested in promoting and encouraging peace in Israel and the Middle East concentrate on cooperation, not on strengthening and creating divisions.

- A boycott harms everyone: Palestinian workers will suffer directly as a result of any boycott, as many rely on Israel for work. The Palestinian economy is growing rapidly in a challenging global climate, largely owing to collaborative efforts involving Israel to improve the lives of Palestinians. The UK may also suffer increased isolation and counter-boycott from countries who recognise the negative and counter-productive nature of anti-Israel actions such as this boycott. Of course, such a boycott is directly intended to damage Israel, for no constructive reason.

Notes on settlements:

- The TUC statement contains numerous factual inaccuracies and distortions. There is no legal decision on the status of the settlements so they cannot be termed ‘illegal’. The US government for one does not hold that they are illegal. The territories of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) are disputed, and their status can only be practically determined as part of direct negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel. Boycotts here or anywhere else in the world will not assist in creating a workable and fair solution.